On Tuesday, 25th August, local women confronted Trinamool Congress leader Mithu Sardar, a close associate of former TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan, in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. The women surrounded Sardar on the road and threw eggs at her, protesting against financial irregularities and misuse of political influence.
Sardar is the Trinamool Congress president of the Sandeshkhali-I block and is also a member of the panchayat samiti. She had been arrested following allegations linked to the case involving an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search Sheikh Shahjahan’s residence. She was released from jail only a few days ago.
In Sandeskhali, West Bengal, Shahjahan wife is getting egged 😂😂
— Boiled Anda (@AmitLeliSlayer) August 26, 2026
Shahjahan and his goons who abused and traff!cked many women and minor g!rls used to get VIP treatment under Mamata govt pic.twitter.com/2ih6KT7o0E
Women confront Mithu Sardar after her return
According to media reports, Sardar was on her way out of her home when a group of local women stopped her on the road. The women raised slogans and surrounded the TMC leader before throwing eggs at her.
Sardar managed to move away from the crowd and took shelter inside a nearby shop. However, the protesters followed her there and continued throwing eggs after she came out.
She eventually sought protection at a police outpost as the situation remained tense. The incident came after Sardar had stayed away from the area for several days.
The protesting women have accused her of misusing her political position and said that money belonging to local women’s self-help groups was misappropriated. These allegations are part of a wider set of accusations that have been made against local TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali.
Mithu Sardar’s links to ED attack case
Sardar’s name had earlier come up during the investigation into the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali. The central agency had gone to Sheikh Shahjahan’s residence as part of its investigation into an ration distribution scam when its team was attacked by a mob.
In May this year, Police subsequently arrested several people in connection with the incident, including Sardar, who was described as being close to Shahjahan. She has also faced allegations relating to financial irregularities.
The latest protest shows that resentment against some local TMC leaders continues to remain strong in parts of Sandeshkhali, even after the arrest and political downfall of Sheikh Shahjahan.
Why did Sandeshkhali women protest?
The latest incident has its roots in the large protests that broke out in Sandeshkhali in February 2024. Hundreds of local women took to the streets, carrying brooms, sticks and farming tools, and demanded action against Sheikh Shahjahan and his associates, Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
The women had accused the trio of making their lives miserable for quite some time. The tension intensified on 9th February after angry villagers, led by women, in and around the Sandeshkhali area of North 24 Parganas, attacked the properties of Sheikh Shahjahan, including a poultry farm owned by Shahjahan’s close confidant and Trinamool Congress leader Shibu Hazra.
The locals said that the poultry farm was set up on a plot of land that the Trinamool Congress leader had forcefully usurped. They also said that the poultry farm had developed into a centre for several illicit operations.
Locals also stated several other instances where Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides had forcefully grabbed lands from poor villagers.
On 10th February, the local police imposed Section 144 in various areas in Sandeshkhali and also banned the use of the internet in 16 panchayats scattered over the two blocks of Sandeshkhali-I and Sandeshkhali-II.
